


Sharks And Sheep

by IShouldBeWriting



Category: Singularity North
Genre: Card Games, Card Sharks, Gen, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-28
Updated: 2013-04-28
Packaged: 2017-12-09 18:35:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/776674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IShouldBeWriting/pseuds/IShouldBeWriting
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The junior officers have their weekly round of poker.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sharks And Sheep

Jamie looked mournfully at the shrinking pile of brightly colored gummy bears in front of him.

“See this?” He gestured, “this is why we’re playing for sweets. How the hell is it that you and Ian both fleece me every fucking game? What happened to the lad who couldn’t even keep his court hands straight?”

Tommy laughed. “It’s just numbers Jamie. It’s not my fault you only took to the squishy subjects at school. I mean, anatomy?”

Ian turned his head to the side just quickly enough to avoid spitting the mouthful of cola all over his cards. “Oi! No fair, Kipling!”

“All’s fair in Love and Poker … your own words, Daredevil. And leave off with the Kipling jokes already, alright?”

“Or? You haven’t beaten me at anything well enough to make that demand … Kipling,”

Smirking broadly, Tommy knocked twice on the table as the round made it back to his turn. ‘Well I’m calling you on it now. Hrrrm. Maybe we need a new nickname for you, Ian. Rockhopper? It’d serve you right with all that yellow hair and your suicidal tendencies where tall cliffs are concerned.”

“We’ll just see about that, boy-oh. Come on now, you’ve called; lay your hand out.”

Cocksure and pleased with himself, Tommy spread his five cards on the table then tucked his hands behind his head and smiled.

Shaking his head sadly, Jamie found himself glad he’d bet conservatively when he turned over his two atrociously low pairs.

“Well done, my Padawan. But you really need to work on that poker face of yours. Grin after you’ve laid them, not before.”

“And why’s that? It’s not like you can change the outcome,” Tommy taunted, still quite sure he had the other man licked this time.

“Because Toff’s still in the round, and unless I’m mistaken … Toff, your cards?”

Quirking one corner of his lips into a quiet half smile, the other blond obligingly laid his hand out. Aces over jacks.

“Because until you’re sure who’s won the hand, gloating is just _embarrassing_. Kipling.”

“Well it’s left to you, Rockhopper.” The slight junior officer replied, still certain he had the upper hand. “So why don’t you just prove you can do better?”

“Mmm, I think I’ll do just that,” Ian drawled, laying out his first three cards, then pausing for a moment before adding the final two with a flourish.

Looking at the cards laid on the table, Tommy’s expression went stony. “Okay, this time I’m calling you on it, Ian. Jokes aside, I’ve been watching all game and I bloody well know you didn’t have that king before.”

Snatching up the deck of undealt cards, Tommy rifled through them quickly and plucked what he wanted triumphantly from the pack. Holding it up for the other lads’ inspection, Tommy watched as Ian’s grin faltered.

“So, Rockhopper, now who’s embarrassed?”

“I -” looking around uncertainly at his fellows’ serious expressions, Ian flushed.

Finally, Tommy broke the tension with a sharp bray of laugher. “Ease up, Ian. We’re just playing with you. We’ve known you were playing tricks for ages. Why do you think we’ve been playing for gummies recently?”

“Guess this means we need a new sheep to fleece?” Ian opined.

“Well there’s that new lad, Davis, joined the EOD team...” Jamie offered as he plucked one of the gummies off the pile and popped it into his mouth.

“With his Captain? Not on your life!”

“Point. He’s got to be almost as much of an adrenaline junkie as you, Ian, to be running with those three. Did you hear they’ve been banned from using IEDs to tackle the creatures?”

“Awww! Which spoilsport tacked that rule onto the pile?”

“Agatha!” the rest of them chorused in unison

“One of the civvies must have complained about the raptors last month.”

“We could invite the birds?”Tommy suggested. “I hear that new girl working computer securities is fun.”

“Diane?” Ian asked.

Tommy nodded.

“Not a chance, Lily tells me she’s almost as batshit as the rest of us and twice as cagey. No thank you. No hens at poker. We’ll just have to start playing strategy against each other, like honest lads.”

“Said the shark to the wolf in sheep’s clothing ...” Toff muttered.


End file.
